Are you looking for an easy way to grow your email list and manage your email marketing campaigns?

Well, integrating Mailchimp with WordPress might be just what you need to do.

With the integration, you can easily add sign-up forms to your website and automate email campaigns based on user behaviour. You can also use data from your website to create more targeted and personalised marketing messages.

In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of integrating these two powerful platforms and provide a step-by-step guide to getting started. We’ll also provide tips and best practices for getting the most out of this powerful combination.

So, if you’re ready to take your email marketing to the next level, keep reading to learn more about why and how to integrate Mailchimp with WordPress.

How to integrate MailChimp with WordPress

Let’s get right to it. There are two methods that you can use to integrate MailChimp with WordPress. The first is easy, as all you have to do is install and configure a WordPress plugin. The second involves using a pop up plugin for WordPress.

To use either of them, you’ll first have to create a MailChimp account and create your subscriber list (also known as an email list).

How to create a MailChimp account

1. Open the MailChimp website
2. Click on the “Sign Up Free” button on the homepage
3. Fill out the registration form with your email address and password
4. Check your email inbox for a verification email from MailChimp. Click on the verification link in the email to verify your email address and complete the registration process
5. After your email address is verified, you will be prompted to fill out your account information, including your name, company name, and address. You’ll also be asked to set up a payment method and plan ( if you decide to go beyond the free version)
6. Before using MailChimp, review and agree to the terms of service and privacy policy
7. Once you’ve completed the registration process and set up your account, you can start crafting your first email campaign. You can start by creating a list, designing your campaign, selecting your audience, and scheduling when the campaign will be sent

How to create a subscriber list on MailChimp

1. Fire up the MailChimp website and log in to your account
2. Click on the “Lists” button in the main menu, then click on the “Create List” button in the top-right corner of the page
3. Fill out the form with the list’s basic details, such as the list name, contact information, and reminder to comply with GDPR requirements. You can also set up extra options like double opt-in, welcome email, and more
4. Click the “Add Fields” button to add fields to your list. You can use these fields to collect all kinds of information about your subscribers, such as name, address, etc. MailChimp will automatically add default fields like email, first name, and last name
5. Next, define merge tags, which are used to insert subscriber-specific information into campaigns dynamically. The merge tags you set up in the list settings will be available for all campaigns associated with the list
6. In the list settings, you can create and design the signup form to collect new subscribers’ email addresses and other information. You can customise the design, add or remove fields, or use pre-designed templates
7. Once the form is ready, you can publish it by copying its code and adding it to your website, a landing page, or a modal
8. Voila! Now all you have to do is review the form and list to ensure all the data is correct and there are no errors. You can do this by signing up with an email address to ensure that the form is working properly and that new subscribers are added to the list

Not sure what a signup form is?

To put it simply, an email signup form is, well, a form that allows visitors to your website to subscribe to your email list. It typically includes fields for the visitor to enter their email address and possibly other information, such as name or interests.

An email signup form is an essential tool for growing your email list and building your audience.

Why?

Simple. Having an email signup form on your website allows you to:

• Build your email list: As your website visitors sign up for your email list, you can use the email addresses to send targeted email campaigns, news about your company or products, and new offers
• Grow your audience: Building an email list can help you grow your audience and reach more people who are actually interested in your business, products, or services.
• Increase conversions: By collecting email addresses from website visitors, you can create targeted campaigns to increase conversions
• Retarget visitors: By collecting email addresses, you can retarget visitors who may have left your website without taking any action

Quite appealing, isn’t it?

How to integrate MailChimp with WordPress using the MailChimp for WordPress (MC4WP) plugin

Install and activate the plugin

You can do this by going to the Plugins tab in your WordPress dashboard and searching for “Mailchimp for WordPress”; Click on the “Install Now” button and then activate the plugin. Once the plugin is installed, click on “Activate”.

Connect your Mailchimp account to the plugin

To do so, follow these steps:

1. Go to the “Mailchimp for WordPress” settings page in your WordPress dashboard
2. Click on the “Connect with MailChimp” button
3. Enter your MailChimp API key (you can find this by logging into your MailChimp account, going to the “Profile” drop-down menu, and then “Extras” and “API keys”)

Configure the plugin’s settings

Once the plugin is connected to your MailChimp account, you can create a sign-up form or opt-in form and configure the plugin’s settings to suit your needs.

1. Go to the “Mailchimp for WordPress” settings page and click on the “Forms” tab
2. Choose the forms that you want to use and customise their design and settings using the plugin’s form builder. You can customise the form to match the look and feel of your website and choose which fields you want to include
3. Set up additional options like GDPR, opt-in checkboxes, and more

Display the form on your website

To display the form on your website, you can use a widget or shortcode.

• If you want to display the form in the sidebar, go to the appearance> Widgets tab in the WordPress dashboard, and drag the Mailchimp for WP widget to the desired sidebar
• If you want to display the form in a post or page, you can use the shortcode provided by the plugin. Simply copy and paste the shortcode into the post or page editor

Test and publish your form

Once you have set up and customised your form, be sure to test it to ensure it’s working correctly. Then, you can publish the form on your website and start collecting email subscribers.

See? It isn’t that hard. Why don’t you stick around a bit as we dive into the more complicated approach?

How to integrate MailChimp with WordPress using a pop-up plugin

Why you should use a pop-up plugin

Instead of relying on MailChimp’s editor when designing a form, you can create a mailing list there and use a separate WordPress pop-up plugin to design and display your form. Some of the most popular plugins in this category include OptinMonster, Sumo, and Thrive Leads. These plugins allow you to create and customise pop-ups without the need for any coding skills.

Here’s why using one is a good idea:

More customisation options

A pop-up form builder typically offers more customisation options than a form builder provided by a service like Mailchimp. That allows you to create forms that are tailored to your specific needs and match the design and style of your website.

Greater flexibility and better targeting

Pop-up form builders often come with a plethora of options for displaying forms. Those options include timed delays, scroll triggers, exit-intent triggers, and much more. Furthermore, such builders usually offer advanced targeting options, such as targeting specific pages, posts, or categories. Or, even targeting users based on their behaviour on your website. That allows you to fine-tune when and how your forms appear to visitors and, therefore, increase conversions.

Advanced analytics

Some pop-up plugins come with built-in analytics that allows you to track conversions and see how your forms are performing. For example, OptinMonster has Conversion Analytics, a feature that allows you to keep track of all the metrics that matter simply by connecting your Google Analytics account. This helps you identify areas for improvement and optimise your forms for better results.

Advanced features

Some pop-up form builders come with advanced features that you might need, such as A/B testing, multi-step forms, as well as integrations with other tools like payment gateways. Talk about contact forms on steroids, huh?

How to integrate MailChimp with WordPress using a pop-up plugin

Install the plugin

First, you’ll need to install a pop-up plugin on your WordPress website. Several popular options are available, but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll use OptinMonster in our examples.

Connect MailChimp to your pop-up plugin

Once your pop-up plugin is installed, connect it to your MailChimp account. You can do that by going to the plugin’s settings and connecting to MailChimp using your API key.

In the case of OptinMonster, you’ll have to create an account on their website, head over to the integrations window, and add MailChimp as a new integration.

Design your pop-up form using WPForms

To create the form itself, you’ll have to use WPForms, which is – hey, surprise! – a form-building plugin. The design process involves choosing a template and customising the fields to your liking.

Set your pop-up triggers

Once the form is ready, head back to the OptinMonster plugin and select the form from the Design screen (here’s a guide on how to do it). Then, set the form triggers. For example, you can set the form to appear on specific pages or when the user performs a specific action, such as scrolling down.

What’s unique about OptinMonster is that they use what’s known as the Exit Intent Technology, which is a signature feature that detects when a user is about to exit a page and displays a pop-up form before they do it.

Make sure everything’s good to go

Before going live, take a moment to test your form to make sure everything is working properly. You can do that by filling in the form and checking if the information is properly passed to MailChimp. Remember to check your email inbox to see whether you’ve received the confirmation email.

Why you should integrate MailChimp with WordPress

There are several reasons why you might want to integrate WordPress with Mailchimp:

Easily grow your email list

By integrating WordPress with Mailchimp, you can easily add sign-up forms to your website and collect email addresses (as well as other pieces of information) from visitors. This can help you grow your email list and reach a larger audience with your marketing messages. Of course, this is only one piece of the puzzle since you still have to actually market to those prospects.

Automate email marketing campaigns

With the integration, you can create automated email campaigns that are triggered based on specific actions taken by website visitors. For example, you could send a welcome email to new subscribers or send abandoned cart emails to users who added items to their cart but didn’t complete a purchase. You can even send an eBook to new subscribers if that’s what’s promised on the sign-up page.

Personalise your marketing emails

By integrating WordPress with Mailchimp, you can use data from your website, such as user behaviour and purchase history, to create more targeted and personalised email marketing campaigns. That can really take your email marketing efforts to the next level. According to a report by McKinsey, 71% of consumers expect businesses to offer personalised communication, and 76% get frustrated when it doesn’t happen. It’s time to get your personalisation game in check, marketer!

Simplify your marketing workflow

By using a single platform for both your website and email marketing, you can streamline your marketing efforts and save time by managing both from a single dashboard.

As you can see, integrating WordPress with Mailchimp can help you more effectively grow and engage your audience and drive better results from your marketing efforts. What else would you ask for as a marketer, huh?

Tips and best practices

Now that you’ve learned how to integrate Mailchimp with WordPress and understood why you should do it, it’s time to learn the best practices to make the most out of that combination:

Make sure your emails are reaching the right inboxes

Here are some actions that you can take to make sure your emails are reaching the right inboxes:

Use a unique signup form for each list

When creating a signup form, use a unique form for each email marketing list. This will make it easier to identify which list a subscriber belongs to based on the form they used to sign up.

Use groups or tags

You can use this feature to create different groups or tags within a list and assign subscribers to those groups based on their preferences or behaviour.

Take advantage of automation

Use automation to move subscribers from one list to another based on certain actions or criteria. For example, you can use automation to move a subscriber from one list to another if they haven’t opened an email in a certain period of time.

Keep an eye on your lists

Regularly monitor your email marketing lists and review them to ensure that the correct email addresses are on the correct list. While doing so, remove any invalid or inactive email addresses to keep your lists clean and accurate.

Use double opt-in

Double opt-in requires new subscribers to confirm their subscription by clicking on a link in a confirmation email. This helps to ensure that only people who are truly interested in receiving your emails sign up for your list. Although double opt-in isn’t required by GDPR and similar privacy laws, it’s still considered best practice if you’re marketing your products to people in Europe.

Segment your list

This is easy right from your Mailchimp dashboard. Use Mailchimp’s segmentation feature to create targeted lists based on specific characteristics, such as location or interests. This will allow you to send more relevant and personalised emails to your subscribers. As mentioned above, personalisation is slowly becoming the standard when it comes to email marketing (or all types of marketing, for that matter).

Create an email marketing schedule

Decide how often you want to send emails to your subscribers and stick to a regular schedule. This will help you build trust and keep your audience engaged.

Use A/B testing

Use Mailchimp’s A/B testing feature to compare the performance of different subject lines, email copy, creatives, or send times to see which ones work best for your audience.

Monitor your email deliverability

Use Mailchimp’s delivery rate and spam rate metrics to ensure that your emails are reaching your subscribers’ inboxes. If you notice that your emails are not being delivered or are ending up in spam, make sure to troubleshoot the issue.

Do you need help with email marketing?

Email marketing is one of the staples of digital marketing. That said, although it’s been around for ages, it can still be hard to tackle for some business owners and bloggers. Worry not, though, because that’s why agencies like ours exist. Just book a discovery call with us today, and we’ll show you how we can manage everything email marketing related for you.

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How to integrate MailChimp with WordPress – FAQs